Roberto Silva is a Mission native and University of Texas-Pan American graduate who left his hometown area before returning in recent months to provide behavioral therapy services for children.

Silva began his career teaching special-education students in Mission and La Joya. He enjoyed working with special needs children. Silva yearned to serve them in a different way.

He wanted to specialize in applied behavior analysis, a research-based behavioral therapy for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

“In the Valley, resources in ABA are limited,” Silva said, “so I moved to Austin.” 

He accepted a job with ABA Connect as a behavior technician. Silva later completed the coursework and passed the certification exam to become a registered behavior technician. Silva then enrolled in UTRGV’s Board Certified Behavior Analyst Certificate Program. He completed the coursework online while still working in Austin. After passing the BCBA exam and becoming certified, Silva earned a new credential after his name: M.Ed., BCBA.

Silva also had a new job opportunity. It would bring him home to serve as clinic director at the first ABA Connect clinic in the Rio Grande Valley. The clinic opened on Aug. 21 at 427 E. Duranta Ave. in Alamo. It will serve children from the ages of 18 months to 18 years old.

“We noticed the huge need down here and the lack of resources,” Silva said.

Developing Individual Plans

ABA Connect has clinics in Texas and Colorado. The company focuses on play-based therapy, using research-based strategies to address challenging behaviors, such as aggression, tantrums and self-harm. 

“Our job as behavior analysts is to collect data and identify the reason for the behavior,” Silva said. “Once we identify the reasons, we must develop interventions to replace those inappropriate behaviors.”

Silva explained how ABA Connect works. 

“Our services require a diagnosis and a referral from a psychologist, neurologist or developmental pediatrician,” he said.

 A thorough evaluation of the child is then conducted at the clinic. 

“Every child on the spectrum is different,” he said. 

Once this process has been completed, trained professionals at ABA Connect develop a customized plan to address the specific needs of that child. This plan is executed via one-on-one sessions with an ABA therapist using methods that include natural environment teaching, discrete trial training and social skills programs.

Natural environment teaching involves real-life environments to teach targeted skills rather than attempting to do so through pictures or other abstract methods. With discrete trial training, the therapist uses a sequential system of introducing a concept or behavior, allowing the child to respond. The therapist then reinforces or corrects the response.

Rather than being a one-and-done approach, discrete trial training is intense and repetitive, allowing ongoing practice and application of the acquired skill. The social skills program at ABA Connect focuses on addressing challenging behaviors, such as difficulty conversing with others and regulating emotions.

Delivering Training

The plan for each child or teen is customized, so the one-on-one sessions with an ABA therapist may range from full-day to half-day to a specific number of hours per week.

ABA Connect also delivers customized family involvement training, which includes teaching family members the skills the child is learning so those skills can be reinforced at home. The company also conducts consultations with teachers, other school staff and any professionals who work directly with the child to further reinforce desired behaviors.

“It’s very important for the parents and those who work with the child to also implement the interventions,” Silva said. 

Therapists at ABA Connect consistently incorporate language and communication skills, motor skills and functional skills. Although the clinic is not a tutoring center, they also address basic academics and functional play skills. 

Silva set out to find his niche in the field of special education and found it at ABA Connect. Now he has come full circle, leading a team of technicians and therapists as they serve children and teens in the Valley.